Harrisburg – Bank barns of
the Cumberland Valley will be the topic of the next lecture in the South
Mountain Speakers Series on Thursday, July 19 at the Community Center in Norlo
Park, Guilford Township, Franklin County.

Bank barns are barns that are often built into
the side of a hill, or bank, so that both the upper and lower levels of the
barn are accessible at ground level.

Dianna Heim, author of the book "Cumberland Valley Barns: Past and Present," and Phil Schaff, local barn photographer and reseasrcher will offer a free lecture beginning at 7 p.m. at the center, 3050 Lincoln Way East.

Heim and Schaff will talk about area barns; how development has impacted the farms on which they stand; their remaining numbers; the results of a statewide barn survey; and the 'green' heating and cooling methods of barns.

"Barns are the reason the agricultural productivity of south-central Pennsylvania grew, flourished and became the basis of ever form of industry in southcentral Pennsylvania," said Allen Dieterich-Ward, an assistant professer of history at Shippensburg University and the chair of the South Mountain Partnership committee on the speaker series. "In addition to establishing the region's economy, these houses of labor are part of our cultural heritage."

Pennsylvania has 182 farms and barns listed on the National Register of Historic Properties.

This is the third year for the South Mountain
Speakers Series, envisioned as a revival of the talks given by Joseph Rothrock
in the late 19th century as part of his work to preserve and restore
Pennsylvania’s forests and natural landscape.Rothrock, a Pennsylvania native, was a pioneer in forest management in
the United States and is often referred to as the state’s “Father of Forestry.”

This event is sponsored by the Fulton Center for
Sustainable Living at Wilson College, Guilford Township and the South Mountain
Partnership. The South Mountain Partnership is a group of private citizens, businesses, nonprofit organizations and government
representatives in Adams, Cumberland, Franklin and York counties, working
together to protect and enhance the landscape.

The partnership was sparked by DCNR’s Conservation
Landscape Initiative, an effort to engage communities, local partners, state
agencies and funding opportunities to conserve the high-quality natural and
cultural resources while enhancing the region’s economic viability.

The series will continue with “Fierce
Friends: The Story of Snakes and Bats” on Aug. 26 at Kings Gap Environmental
Education Center in Cumberland County.